The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-11-30
Aeritultural.
" What l Know of Farming"


letters on the subject of farming in
northern and eastern New England,
especially in New Hampshire. ON. +.
b." of the Journal spent the summer
there and made the acquaintance of the
farmers and their families, and she de-
clares the lives they lead are full of
hardship and privation. Every egg
must be sold and every drop of cream
made into butter to sell, while they do
and ,CiU live on salt pork and saleratus
bread. / was born and brought up on
farm and it has been my ambition to
live on one, but since my marriage l
have not. My parents commenced life
on farm with one COW, span of
horses and four sheep. They bought
heifer calves when old enough to be
taken from their mothers for small
sum, and by good feed and extra care
had in few years eight extra cows.
They raised pork and poultry to sell
and to eat and made butter, for which
they always had the highest price, and
whatever could be turned into money
was made the most of. The old or
chard was pruned and cultivated until it
yielded two hundred bushels or more of
apples in good years. Dried apple was
in good demand at good prices, and so
was cider and apple-sauce. All young
apple-trees found in the pasture were
grated with Baldwins, which do not
drop off. In early autumn all hands were
busy drying apples and made nothing
of job of drying two hundred pounds.
Sweet apples were made up into cider
sauce-several butter-firkins full. From
the cucumber vines a barrel or two of
sailed or picked cucumbers were put
down. AT odd moments few pairs of
mems socks and double mittens were
knit for sale. In early winter, when
the pork was killed, lard tried out, sau-
sages made, candles dipped and poultry
dressed, father loaded up double
sleigh and took what of all these could
be spared and went to Concord, n.
H.-thirty-siX miles distant-to sell it.
1t was disposed of very soon among the
merchants; and what busy, money
making days those were for them! Ho-
tel-keepers took the apple-sauce and
the pickles and {" asked for more. ~
often giving an extra price, as the
articles were always frst-class. In ex-
change father took what groceries were
needed-such as flour, oil, a kit of
mackerel, and always few fresh fish,
to be kept frozen in snow-drift for
extra occasions. l remember how
frightful their great fishy eyes looked
to us children. A web Of stout cotton
cloth, and perhaps dress for each girl,
were also provided, and the rest was
taken in hard cash. Eggs and butter
in small lots paid the small store-bills;
and as for doctors bills, we never had
any to speak of, for we were not sick.
Plenty of corn, oats and rye were
grown, as were also potatoes and large
supply of vegetables, but the land was
not adapted to wheat. Enough maple
sugar was made for home use, but none
to sell. From the flock of thirty or
forty turkeys we always had good one
for Thanksgiving. We also had chick
ems and beef enough, but it was true
then, as now, that "you can't eat your
cake and have it too" Father thus
paid for the farm he had run in debt
for, kept out of debt and laid by little
for old age. Mother spun and wove
full-cloth for mems wear, flannel for
the children's common dresses and
flannel blankets. Our dresses lasted
three winters, and a merino for the
best dress in winter and delaines or
ginghams for summer were what every
body wore. OF course there were
silks, muslins, prints and variety of
goods worn, but l am speaking of what
was common among farmers. My
fathers suit of roadcloth-chosen with
care, cut by tailor and made up in
the house by tailoress who event
out sewing-was good for half dozen
years, and not out of fashion, and so
was mothers black silk. That was the
way farmers lived and raised large
families of children. Ask a girl now
to dry apples, or to do any of those
things l speak of, and see if she does
not turn up her nose. She plays the
piano, paints lovely plaques and lambre-
quins and does such beautiful fancy
work of all kinds-and the whole of it
is utterly useless and worthless as soon
as the fashion passes. She spends
what others earn on silks and seal
skins, with a hat and gloves to match
every suit. Is it a wonder young men
are afraid to marry? The farmer now
buys his clothes at shops, stylish and
cheap, to rip and wear out in season.
The sons go to college and come home
untitled for work. They go to the
cities-the country is " too slow but
do they help pay off the debts? Not
often. WHY? The club and the theater